I know I'm four games behind the quarter-season mark. I apologize. It doesn't feel like the season is already more than 1/4 complete (1/3 completed to be precise) I guess going 16 games without a regulation loss will do that.

Anyways, this new feature, which I call "State of the Tribe", is my quarterly review of how the Blackhawks have been in general, who's been good, who hasn't and some other random thoughts that pertain to the Hawks. As always, feedback is welcome and encouraged. Enjoy.

Not enough good things can be said about this Blackhawks squad, who have tied an NHL record for longest point streak to start a season and will go for the all time record tomorrow night. They're up there with some pretty impressive company, such as the '84 Oilers and '07 Ducks, which says a lot.

What's behind the success? Well a combination of things. Teams are finding it extremely challenging to match up with the speed, skill and depth of the Blackhawks. The Hawks have one of the strongest one-two punches in the league, followed by a third and a fourth line that are consistently winning match-ups. This is leading to an abundance of scoring, especially secondary scoring.